Today in class, we discussed The Early Renaissance in the Fifth-Century Century. We started by defining what Studia Humanitatis is, which is the study of the work of humans or anything created by humans, like literature, history, art, and or philosophy. An example of studia humanitatis is the printing press in Italy in 1464. Paper was made from old clothing, such as rags, to spread knowledge in the 15th century.
We then moved on to comparing the Sacrifice of Issac. The competition was between 6 artists who each created a gilt bronze and wood panel. They were voted, and the finalists were Ghilberti and Brunelleschi. The panel was the sacrifice of Issac committed by Abraham, while the angel spared Issac’s life. The two panels had some similarities and differences; some of the main ones were the positions of Issac and Abraham. In Ghilberti’s, the sacrifice was to the left, while in Brunelleschi’s, the sacrifice is in the center, and the angel is grabbing Abraham’s arm, symbolizing Issa is “safe”. In Ghilberti’s, the angel hasn’t yet gotten to Abraham, so there is a sense of uncertainty as to whether Issac will die or not.
Looking more into Brunelleschi’s history, we looked into the Dome of Santa Maria Del Fiore, built-in 1420-36 by Brunelleschi. He referred to it as “the dome,” a beautiful architectural building located in the center of Florence. he had many sketches and models before deciding on a doubled-shelled dome with many structural details.